We know it can be hard to keep up with everything that's happening so we created a page to give you a few quick facts and updates about the most pressing issues.

To learn more about what we're watching -- including Medicaid work requirements, a bill to reauthorize Money Follows the Person, and a forthcoming rule that will harm people with disabilities trying to become U.S. citizens, visit the new Current Issues page.

On Wednesday, April 25, 2018, the House Energy and Commerce Committee is planning to mark up a bill that would allow Medicaid funds to be used for inpatient services in psychiatric institutions called Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMDs). Although the bill is aimed at combating substance use disorders, it also would require states to fund unnecessary institutional care at the expense of expanding critical community-based mental health services. Read our letter on the issues here.

The Fiscal Year for 2018 (FY18) began on October 1, 2017, but Congress had failed to pass a budget to authorize spending on any government programs. As a result, there were two government shutdowns while the House of Representatives and the Senate tried to negotiate funding levels. Six months later, the Congress passed a massive bill to fund the federal government for FY18, which the President signed on March 23, 2018 to make it into a law. This omnibus bill combines and consolidates many separate appropriations, funding the federal government through September of 2018. Many programs for people with disabilities received increased funding for the rest of this fiscal year, but all of these programs are in serious jeopardy for next year. Read More.

On Friday, Rep. Guthrie and Dingell introduced the EMPOWER Care Act in the House (H.R. 5306) as a companion to the bill in the Senate (S. 2227). The EMPOWER Care Act would re-authorize the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program, which has expired. MFP has helped more than 75 thousand people with disabilities and seniors move from nursing homes and other institutions to the community. Call your members of Congress to ask them to cosponsor and pass the EMPOWER Care Act as part of the March 23rd budget.

Your actions in early February to ask the Senate to #fundMFP made a big impact, and now it is time to once again take action to make the EMPOWER Care Act law!

The Money Follows the Person (MFP) program is a Medicaid program that has helped more than 75 thousand people with disabilities and seniors move from nursing homes and other institutions to the community. The MFP program has expired, and we need your advocacy to get the House and Senate to support the EMPOWER Care Act and pass it as part of the March 23rd budget.

Federal funding to the states for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expired on September 30th, 2017, which marked the end of fiscal year 2017. Without this federal funding, some states were unable or unwilling to keep the program running, posing a major threat to the future of CHIP. In order for the program to continue as is, Congress needed to pass legislation that would reauthorize funding to the program.

On January 22, 2018 CHIP was reauthorized for six years when Congress passed an extension to the federal budget. This six year reauthorization was then extended to ten years on February 8, 2018 when Congress passed the budget bill. Thanks to tremendous advocacy efforts, this bipartisan decision will allow millions of children to continue receiving the medical insurance that they need

The Money Follows the Person (MFP) program is a Medicaid program that has helped more than 75 thousand people with disabilities and seniors move from nursing homes and other institutions to the community. The program has expired, and we need your advocacy to get Congress to pass the EMPOWER Care Act to continue it. Join in our national call-in day (Feb. 1) and social media day (Feb. 2) to #FundMFP. Everyone deserves the opportunity to live in the community!

Today Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We are of course disappointed that we were not ultimately able to stop this bill. But because of your advocacy, many of the most harmful tax provisions for people with disabilities were not included in the final bill. We remain concerned that Congress will next turn to cutting Medicaid, Medicare and other critical programs to pay for the tax bill. But again, your efforts to educate members of Congress and the public about how important Medicaid is to people with disabilities will help us in the next fight. Thank your hard work, and rest up for what's ahead.

You can get more information on the final bill here or in this chart of major provisions here.

The House is voting on the final bill early this afternoon, and the Senate may vote as early as late this evening. The final tax bill still has harmful provisions to people with disabilities and, even more concerning, still reduces revenue by over $1.4 trillion which Congress has said will be paid for with cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and other important programs. Despite all our advocacy, all reports are that Congress has the votes to pass the bill. It is critical that Congress continue to hear that we strongly oppose this bill and will fight any cuts to Medicaid and other programs to pay for it. Please continue to call, email, tweet, and visit your members of Congress, as well as join in events. Here is a list of key targets.

Last night, a final bill was passed out of the conference committee. The House has scheduled a final vote on Tuesday, and the Senate will follow shortly thereafter. The final tax bill still has harmful provisions to people with disabilities and, even more concerning, still reduces revenue by over $1.4 trillion which Congress has said will be paid for with cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and other important programs. Despite all our advocacy, all reports are that Congress has the votes to pass the bill. Nonetheless, it is critical that Congress hear that we strongly oppose this bill and will fight any cuts to Medicaid and other programs to pay for it. Please join in Monday's national disability call in day and Thunderclap.

The Senate and House have each passed versions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).The House and Senate conference committee is meeting this week to reconcile the two versions of the tax bill and we expect a final version of the bill this Friday or next Monday. Voting in the House and Senate will likely start early next week.

WE STILL HAVE A CHANCE TO STOP THIS#TaxOnDisability. We need to act NOW!

It's absolutely essential that your Senators and Representatives hear from you now! We need everyone to call, write, engage in social media, and attend events. Here is a list of key targets in the Senate and House. With your advocacy, we still have a chance to stop this bill!

Join in tomorrow's national disability call in day! The House and Senate conference committee are meeting this week to reconcile the 2 versions of the tax bill they passed. That means that every harmful provision in either bill is on the table. It's absolutely essential that your Senators and Representatives hear from you now! We need everyone to call, write, engage in social media, and attend events. Here is a list of key targets in the Senate and House. With your advocacy, we still have a chance to stop this bill!

The House and Senate are setting up a conference to reconcile the 2 versions of the tax bill they passed. That means that every harmful provision in either bill is on the table. And that we have at least a few more days to advocate against this bill. It's absolutely essential that your Senators and Representatives hear from you now! We need everyone to reach call, write, engage in social media, and attend events. Here is a list of key targets in the House.

At 2 am this morning, the Senate passed their tax bill. Thank you to everyone who fought so hard against this bill that will hurt people with disabilities and pave the way for massive cuts to Medicaid and other programs on which people with disabilities rely. It's absolutely essential that your Representatives in the House hear from you now! The House may vote as early as Monday afternoon on this bill -- until then we need you to call, write, engage in social media, and attend events. Here is a list of key targets in the House.

Yesterday the Senate began debate and votes on their tax bill. A number of Senators remained concerned (mostly about the impact of the bill on the deficit) so Senator McConnell scheduled the vote for late this morning (although this could slip). It's absolutely essential that your Senators hear from you now!

The Senate's tax bill was passed by the Budget Committee yesterday and the Senate will begin offering and debating amendments today. We expect a full Senate vote as early as Thursday or Friday. It's absolutely essential that your Senators hear from younow!

If you haven't already please invite friends and family to join people with disabilities, our families, and advocates around the country today for a national call-in day: No Tax on Disability!

Congress is on recess from November 18th - 26th and the Senate is expected to vote on the tax bill as early as next Thursday. This bill contains provisions that disproportionally harm people with disabilities and repeals the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act. Most concerningly, it's a step toward massive cuts to Medicaid. And its all to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Your representatives are home this week and it's critical that they hear from you!

Today the House voted and passed their tax bill. The Senate is expected to vote shortly after Thanksgiving. If the Senate bill passes there will be a conference negotiation between the two chambers over the final legislation. Both bills still include massive tax cuts for corporations and wealthy individuals - dramatically reducing revenue and leaving Medicaid vulnerable to cuts and caps and causing automatic cuts to Medicare. Both bills contain tax provisions that hurt people with disabilities. And now the Senate has added repeal of part of the Affordable Care Act, causing the loss of insurance by millions and increases in premiums.

Yesterday afternoon a repeal of the individual mandate to obtain health insurance was added to Senate tax bill - potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities without insurance and increasing premiums for those purchasing coverage on the exchange.

The Senate and House bills both still contain massive tax cuts that will reduce the amount of revenue available to states to pay for Medicaid, leaving Medicaid vulnerable to cuts and caps. The bills eliminate a number of tax deductions and credits that help people with disabilities. Bottom line, these bills would be disastrous for people with disabilities. You can learn more about the bills here.

Please take action today and let your representatives know that eliminating the revenue necessary to fund Medicaid is unacceptable. This bill is moving quickly -- with a likely vote in the House this week and in the Senate right after Thanksgiving.

Late last week, House Republicans released their tax bill. Hearings on the bill start today. Here is a section by section summary. The good news is that thanks to your strong advocacy over the last six months, the bill does not directly contain cuts to Medicaid, at least for now. However, there are two continuing risks to Medicaid. Cuts to Medicaid could be added in the bill if some of the revenue-generating tax provisions are taken out due to opposition. Or, cuts to Medicaid will likely come on the heels of passage of this tax bill. President Trump and Republican leadership in the House and Senate have all said that Medicaid must be cut to address the existing federal deficit, and this tax bill would increase the deficit by an additional $1.5 trillion. The recent budget proposed by the President and passed by both the House and Senate proposed more than $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts (and nearly $500 billion from Medicare). Read more about the tax bill’s threat to healthcare here and a statement from the Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities here.

We are working to identify tax provisions that could harm people with disabilities. Some provisions we are concerned about include the elimination of the medical expense deduction, which allows people to deduct catastrophic medical expenses (read more here and here); repeal of the work opportunity tax credit (which gives employers a credit for employing people with disabilities and others, more info here); and repeal of the “orphan drug credit,” which incentivizes drug companies to develop drugs for rare diseases (read more here).

Finally, the rushed partisan reconciliation process continues to be a major concern.

Yesterday, the House adopted the 2018 Budget Resolution that had been passed by the Senate. This budget resolution paves the way for Congress to enact massive tax cuts over the next decade that will cost up to $1.5 trillion and leaves Medicaid and other disability programs vulnerable to cuts. (Congress has stated that they plan to pay for these costs with cuts to programs like Medicaid). The resolution also allows Congress to pass these massive tax cuts with a simple majority vote. It's unclear when and how Congress will begin slashing programs to pay for these tax cuts but when they do Medicaid will be on the chopping block.

We'll keep you updated as we learn more, but for now, please contact your representatives and make sure they know that cuts to Medicaid are always unacceptable, whether today, tomorrow, next month, or next year.

Medicaid is once again under attack. As anticipated, last night the Senate passed the Budget Resolution. The Budget Resolution was passed on a partisan basis, with all Republican Senators other than Senator Paul voting for the Resolution and all Democratic Senators voting against it. This Budget resolution lays out the plan for Congress on tax reform and a vehicle to pass legislation by a simple majority (meaning only 50 votes in the Senate). Specifically, Congress plans to give tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations funded by cutting critical healthcare programs including Medicaid and Medicare.

We need to mobilize. It is time to educate your members of Congress on the importance of Medicaid. Contact your member of Congress and tell them your story. Tell them that Medicaid saves lives. Ask them to #SaveMedicaid and to #ProtectOurCare by voting NO to any legislation that would cut, cap or otherwise limit Medicaid.

The Senate is expected to vote on the 2018 budget resolution today or tomorrow. This is the beginning of a process that will eventually enable Congress to pass tax cuts for the wealthy, and which will force deep cuts to various safety net programs. We are very concerned that this will include cuts to Medicaid and other essential services for people with disabilities. Although we expect this vote will pass, it is a critical time to remind your Senators on the importance of Medicaid for people with disabilities .

The President is also attacking the Affordable Care Act. While these attacks are not directly on Medicaid, they will nevertheless impact people with disabilities. We need to continue educating members of Congress on the importance of Medicaid and affordable health care for people with disabilities.

Please call your member of Congress and tell them to oppose any bill or budget that proposes to cut or cap Medicaid and ask them to support bi-partisan actions around healthcare, including actions to stabilize the market.

The attacks on health care continue from both the White House and Congress. Last night, the White House announced that it would halt subsidies to health insurance companies serving low-income Americans. These payments reduce the insurance payments for low-income people by reducing their deductibles and co-payments. This will have the effect of making health care less affordable by increasing premiums. It will also destabilize the markets. Halting these subsidies will also cost taxpayers more than continuing the subsidies.

Yesterday, President Trump also signed an Executive Order targeting health care (see here). While this order is about private health insurance not Medicaid, it will likely impact people with pre-existing conditions, including people with disabilities, and will destabilize the market. Congress is also attacking health care through the budget. The House has already passed its 2018 budget resolution. Now it's the Senate's turn. If the budget resolution passes, Congress will be able to proceed with reconciliation. We are concerned that Congress will use cuts to Medicaid and other basic services to finance tax reform through reconciliation.

The fight to protect our health care is far from over. We need to continue educating our Senators on the importance of Medicaid and affordable health care to people with disabilities. Please call your representatives and tell that we need: (1) bipartisan action to stabilize the market (including authorizing CSRs) and (2) no cuts to medicaid in the budget.

The attacks on health care continue. Today, President Trump signed an Executive Order targeting health care (see here). While this order is about private health insurance not Medicaid, it will likely impact people with pre-existing conditions, including people with disabilities. Congress is also attacking health care through the budget. The House has already passed its 2018 budget resolution. Now it's the Senate's turn. If the budget resolution passes, Congress will be able to proceed with reconciliation. We are concerned that Congress will use cuts to Medicaid and other basic services to finance tax reform through reconciliation.

Meanwhile, the President's Executive Order aims to create cheaper health plans with weaker protections outside of the current markets. Healthcare experts and advocates predict that such health plans would have damaging effects: the cost of health care for people with serious health conditions (including people with disabilities) will increase, and insurers will leave the marketplace, thus destabilizing the market.

The fight to protect our health care is far from over. We need to continue educating our Senators on the importance of Medicaid and health care to people with disabilities, and ensure that Medicaid won't get cut. We will keep you updated and let you know when we need to amp up the advocacy!

Over the last several months, you have all been incredible advocates. Together, we have successfully defeated multiple healthcare bills that would have decimated Medicaid. Unfortunately, the fight is not over.

Congress has now turned to the budget and will attack Medicaid through the budget. On Thursday, October 5, the House passed the 2018 budget resolution. Now it's the Senate's turn. If the budget resolution passes, Congress will be able to proceed with reconciliation. We are concerned that Congress will use cuts to Medicaid and other basic services to finance tax reform through reconciliation.

We need to continue educating our Senators on the importance of Medicaid to people with disabilities, and ensure that Medicaid won't get cut. We will keep you updated and let you know when we need to amp up the advocacy!

We did it: People with disabilities, their families, and allies made their voices heard and saved Medicaid!
Senate Republicans have announced that there WILL NOT BE A VOTE on the disastrous Graham-Cassidy bill!
Thank you to everyone for your incredible advocacy.
We know there will be more attacks on Medicaid and we'll be ready to stand up again but for now we can celebrate that our advocacy made a difference.

We did it: People with disabilities, their families, and allies made their voices heard and saved Medicaid!
Senate Republicans have announced that there WILL NOT BE A VOTE on the disastrous Graham-Cassidy bill!
Thank you to everyone for your incredible advocacy.
We know there will be more attacks on Medicaid and we'll be ready to stand up again but for now we can celebrate that our advocacy made a difference.

Yesterday was a REALLY busy day in the fight against Graham-Cassidy. Thanks to all of you -- people who called and emailed their Senators, submitted testimony, participated in state rallies and events, packed the hearing and overflow rooms, rallied and protested. Our advocacy is working, and we need to keep it up!

Senator Collins is a NO! That means that we now have definitive NO's from Senators Collins and McCain. While the media is reporting that Senator Paul is also a no, he has said he'd vote no and ended up voting yes before. So we need to keep up the advocacy until we get a 3rd definitive NO!

The Congressional Budget Office Analysis came out. Remember, it's on the first version of the Graham-Cassidy bill, not the latest version. Basically, the CBO says they weren't given enough time to do a real analysis, that the bill will cause $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, and that millions would lose coverage.

We need everyone to keep up their advocacy against the Graham-Cassidy bill throughout the week. A new version of the bill was released last night and it's EVEN WORSE.

While changes in funding formulas would direct more money toward key states like Alaska, the exact amount is unclear and critics are calling the calculations "pretty misleading." The devastating cuts and caps to Medicaid remain the same and it's even easier for states to waive protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

We need everyone to keep up their advocacy against the Graham-Cassidy bill throughout the weekend and next week. Senators are home over the weekend, so please join local events and call, email and post on social media asking your senators to vote NO. The Senate is holding a hearing on Monday; we need everyone to submit comments into the record by Monday at 9 am. Attend Monday's hearing if you're in DC; if you're outside DC, join in the national disability call-in day. We are hearing there might be a vote as early as late Tuesday or on Wednesday.

This fight isn't over until three Republican Senators clearly and unequivocally commit that they will vote NO. So keep up the advocacy! We can win this fight to save Medicaid!

The Graham-Cassidy bill is gaining momentum in the Senate. This last ditch effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act includes cuts to Medicaid that will be devastating to people with disabilities. We expect it to be brought to the floor of the Senate next week and the sponsors are only a couple of votes away from being able to pass the bill.

We need to stop this bill. It's essential that individuals, family members, friends, and advocates make their voices heard NOW.

Senators Graham and Cassidy have released their bill. This bill is a last ditch attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act and restructure and cut Medicaid. (Read more details here.) This bill is gaining momentum in the Senate, and we need to stop it!

We want to once again THANK YOU for all of your hard work during the last 6 months working diligently to educate, advocate for and ultimately protect Medicaid. You were strong, passionate, you kept showing up, and it made all the difference!

As Congress returned to session this week, most of the healthcare focus has been on bi-partisan marketplace proposals. But there are some attempts to push another bill to repeal the ACA, the Graham-Cassidy proposal before the end of September. While the final details have not been released, it includes block grants and major cuts to the Medicaid program.

It’s important for your representatives to continue to hear from the disability community about the importance of Medicaid and the need to work on healthcare in a bi-partisan manner. Ask them to oppose any bill that would cut, cap or block grant Medicaid, including the Graham-Cassidy proposal. You can call, email,write.

We expect to face other attacks on Medicaid through the budget later this fall. We’ll keep you updated!

ACA and Medicaid bills:

This week the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee held hearings about health insurance marketplace stabilization (not about Medicaid). This is a positive step in a bi-partisan direction.

The Senate parliamentarian ruled this week that the vehicle that Congress was using for healthcare reform – FY ’17 budget reconciliation (which allowed them only to need a simple majority to pass the bill) – expires at the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 2017 ). They of course can pass another budget reconciliation bill, although we understand that they’d like to use it for tax reform and not healthcare.

There is still one ACA repeal bill – the Graham-Cassidy bill – discussed by some Republican members of Congress and Republican Governors. Among other things, this bill would block grant and make huge cuts to the Medicaid program, as well as end the Medicaid expansion and marketplace subsidies. Yesterday Senator McCain (R-AZ), one of the 3 Republicans who voted against the ACA repeal in July, made a public statement of support yesterday. He later said that he believes that any action around the ACA should go through the normal legislative process (i.e. hearing, committee consideration, etc.) . But given the pressure created by the expiring budget reconciliation, we think it is important to make sure this bill does not gain momentum. (For more information on the bill see here, and Graham-Cassidy Proposal: Gigantic Block Grants and Huge Health Care Cuts and Cassidy-Graham Would Deeply Cut and Drastically Redistribute Health Coverage Funding Among States).

With the hard work of the disability community, we successfully stopped all of the proposed health care bills! However, there are still a number of ways in which Congress could cut health care and Medicaid. Your Congressional representatives will be on recess and working in their state offices through Labor Day (Sept. 4). We need your help to ensure that lawmakers in both chambers know that you are invested in making sure they do not approve legislation that would cut or cap Medicaid. Please, meet with your representatives, attend a Town Hall, or go to an event. Let your representatives know that cuts to Medicaid put individuals with disabilities at risk of losing essential services that allow them to live and work in the community. This cannot happen. See here for more inforamtion.

Last night, the Senate's final try at a healthcare bill failed, with Senators Collins, Murkowski and McCain voting no. This would not have happened without your tireless advocacy! Months of non-stop visits, calls, emails, sharing of your stories, rallies, and protests have paid off. We should celebrate that our advocacy has made a difference. Please send your thanks to the senators that voted against the bill. We are committed to continue fighting any attempts to cut Medicaid or access to healthcare and will keep you updated and appreciate your support. Again, thank you for your advocacy and let's celebrate this hard-fought victory.

The Center for Public Representation relies on your support to be able to fight for the rights of people with disabilities. This fight is not over, and we still need your support! Donate here.

The final vote in the Senate is expected to occur later today or tomorrow. Over the past two days, the Senate has voted on and failed to pass their original repeal and replace bill (the Better Care Reconciliation Act), and a second version which largely repealed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) without replacing it (the Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act). It’s because of your advocacy that they didn’t have the votes for either of these versions.

However, today is the last day of debate, and the Republican leaders are still trying to decimate our health care. Within the next day, the Senate will be voting on a "skinny bill." This bill would repeal the ACA’s individual and employer mandates, and would lead to an estimated loss of insurance by 16 million, increased premiums, and $220 billion less in federal Medicaid funding. If the Senate passes this "skinny bill," it would advance to a conference to be reconciled with the House’s American Health Care Act (AHCA), with its more than $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid. It is expected that the Republicans in conference would re-introduce large parts of the BCRA or AHCA, including devastating Medicaid cuts and caps. Read more about the issues of the skinny bill here.

During the last few hours of this debate, please make your voice heard! We need to call, write, and make our voices heard. We need the Senate to know that no version of the bill is acceptable. Please reach out to your senator and the key senators and tell them to #VoteNo and to #SaveMedicaid.

Today is the 27th anniversary of the signing of the American with Disabilities Act! The advocacy in the last few weeks has been incredible. On this historic day, we need to keep it up! Over the next couple days the Senate will be voting on different versions of the Senate health care bill. We expect the final vote to be tomorrow, July 27. Every version of this bill is unacceptable and would lead to millions of people with disabilities losing their health care, and billions of dollars of cuts to Medicaid.

As the Senate debates these bills, please reach out to your senators and the key senators, Senators Capito (WV), Corker (TN), Heller (NV), Portman (OH), Graham (SC), Moran (KS), and McCain (AZ). Tell them that #nocutsnocaps are acceptable, to #killthebill, and to #savemedicaid. If you’re in DC, please join Senators Casey, Van Hollen, Duckworth, and Hassan at noon in front of the Supreme Court for a press conference. They will be celebrating the ADA, and discussing the threat that Americans with disabilities are facing.

Despite all of your incredible advocacy, the motion to proceed narrowly passed this afternoon, with all of the Republican Senators aside from Senators Murkowski and Collins voting yes to proceed. Vice President Pence also voted yes to break the 50-50 tie.

Now as the Senate continues to debate the health care bill, we need to increase our advocacy! We need to call, write, and make our voices heard. We need the Senate to know that no version of the bill is acceptable. Please reach out to your senator and the key senators and tell them to #killthebill and to #savemedicaid. This fight is far from over.

Today the Senate will vote to consider a bill that will either gut Medicaid or dismantle the health care system. We don’t know which of the two bills will be considered. What we do know is that millions of people will lose their health care if the motion to proceed is not stopped. Millions of lives are on the line. This morning and early afternoon we need to jam phone lines, fill email boxes, and join rallies and events asking Senators to #VoteNo on the motion to proceed, as well as on any bill that cuts or caps Medicaid or rolls back protections for pre-existing conditions if any bill comes to the floor.

As you may have heard, Senator McCain is returning to DC today in time for this vote. There will now be 100 Senators, so Vice President Pence can now break a tie. If the motion to proceed passes, the bill will move into debate (although Senator McConnell could choose to just table it if they aren't ready for a vote on a bill). After the debate, there will be a vote-a-rama. If the motion to proceed passes and the bill moves forward to debate, we expect a final vote likely late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Reminder for anyone in the DC area, the NCIL march and rally is today (info here). Our advocacy has been making a difference -- let's up it today!

The Senate is expected to vote on a motion to proceed tomorrow. This means that a bill that will deprive 10 million people with disabilities of their health care, and lead to over 700 billion dollars in cuts will be moved to the next stage. This is unacceptable. Republican Senators are feeling intense pressure to allow the bill to go through. We need to match and beat this pressure, and encourage them to say NO! We need to tell our Senators to #killthebill and #savemedicaid. No version of the current bills is acceptable.

Please call your senator and the key senators today. This is urgent! Please also consider joining the activities happening this week in D.C. and around the country. We need your advocacy and voices more than ever!

The last few days have been jam-packed, and there is still uncertainty as to what we can expect next. However, we do know that the Senate is planning on voting on a motion to proceed early next week, the first step in bringing a bill to a vote on the floor. This means we have to keep up the pressure and tell the Senate to #VoteNO and #KillTheBill.

Right now the Senate has two bills before it: the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) and the Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act (ORRA). Both of these bills lead to massive cuts and loss of health care for people with disabilities. The BCRA will cut Medicaid by $756 billion dollars, and will lead to 22 million people losing their health care. The cuts to Medicaid will increase over time, leading to a 35% cut by 2036. The ORRA would eliminate health care coverage for 32 million people by 2026, and 17 million by next year. It would also increase health care plan premiums by at least 100%. Both bills would cut home and community based services to people with disabilities. Both bills also weaken protections for people with pre-existing conditions. In short, both bills are unacceptable. Learn more about the bills and their CBO scores here and here.

We are not sure which bill will be voted on next week, but we need to keep our message strong that cuts to Medicaid and pre-existing protections are unacceptable. The Republican Senators are feeling massive pressure to pass a bill, so we need to step up our game. We need to thank the Senators who have voiced their opposition to the bills – particularly Senators Collins, Murkowski, Capito and Portman – and ask them to #StandStrong and #VoteNo. And we need to encourage other senators to join them in opposing these bills! Please Act Now by continuing to call, write, and attend events. This fight to #SaveMedicaid is not over!

July 19 Update: The bill is back. But now there are two.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell came out today promising a vote to repeal the ACA next week. There are now TWO bills being readied: the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BRCA) and a new bill, the Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act (ORRA). They're both harmful and it's unclear what bill the Senators will be asked to vote on. We'll keep you updated as we learn more but for now you can continue to make your voice heard.

Be sure to thank the Republican Senators who have come out against the bills: Senators Collins (ME), Murkowski (AK), Capito (WV), Senators Lee (UT), and Moran (KS).

What happened? Last night, two more Republican Senators – Senators Lee (UT) and Moran (KS) – joined Senators Collins (ME) and Paul (KY) in opposing the Senate’s health care bill, the better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). Because Senate Majority Leader McConnell does not have the votes needed to pass the BCRA, the vote is not going forward. This is a huge accomplishment and would not have happened without your incredible advocacy.

What's Next? Senator McConnell announced last night that he will now try to move a bill that would repeal the Affordable Care Act and delay implementation for two years. However, just in the last hour, three Republican Senators announced they would oppose a “repeal and delay” bill – Senators Collins (ME), Murkowski (AK), and Capito (WV). We will keep you updated on Senator McConnell’s potential next steps to move a bill forward. In addition, earlier today the House announced that it is beginning its 2018 budget process, and cuts and block grants to Medicaid are in that mix. In sum, things are very much in flux. But we do know that the fight to save Medicaid is not over, and we need to keep up our advocacy!

Senator McConnell has delayed the Senate vote on the health care bill, due to Senator McCain's absence from DC following a surgery. This means we have more time to advocate. The rallies for today, beginning at 2 pm in DC are still on. However, tomorrow's events have been postponed. Today's featured speakers include:

PLEASE KEEP UP THE ADVOCACY! Please keep writing, calling, and attending events. The deadline for submitting a save Medicaid letter for the Arc to deliver has been extended to Wednesday. We want to show strong support for Medicaid from all over the nation, but we are particularly looking for letters from the following states: Nevada, West Virginia, Alaska, Louisiana, Ohio, Arizona, North Dakota and Kansas.

The Senate has released a revised draft of their new health care bill. See our analysis here. In short, it's still incredibly harmful: devastating per capita caps are still included in the bill and it has the same initial growth rate and the more restrictive growth rate beginning in 2025. The bill is moving quickly towards a vote early next week, and we need everyone to act now!

Here are another few key points about the bill:

The revised bill still will have, based on the recent CBO, $772 billion in cuts to Medicaid, and will cut Medicaid by 35% by 2036, and 15 million people with lose Medicaid.

There have been no changes to the carve out from caps for "blind and disabled children." In case you missed it, here is a blog about why it doesn't protect children with disabilities.

A new 4 year pilot for home and community based services (HCBS) program was added. It is limited to $8 billion and targeted to low density states. This new HCBS program would not even fully replace the funding that the bill cuts for another permanent HCBS program (Community First Choice). And it does nothing to address the long term cuts to HCBS by the caps.

There has been virtually no change to the Medicaid expansion provisions (only substantive change is that states can include the Medicaid expansion population in block grants).

We expect a CBO score on Monday and for the bill to move forward to a motion to proceed shortly after that. We need to #killthebill! There is incredible advocacy occurring all over the country. Please join in events and act !

The Senate is moving quickly to complete their revised bill. We expect the new language on the bill to be released as early as tomorrow. The CBO score is expected early next week and the bill could be voted on late next week. We need to keep the momentum going to ensure that we #savemedicaid. Please attend the events in DC and around the country, and continue to make your voice heard by calling in. It is especially important that the senators in key states are contacted. We expect that any revisions to the bill will still include cuts and caps to Medicaid. We need to tell congress that this is simply unacceptable!

Congress returns to DC today. We need to make our voices heard loud and clear that we oppose any bill that cuts and caps Medicaid and fails to protect people with pre-existing conditions.

The Senate is desperately working to get to 50 votes to pass their bill. Over recess, the Senate sent additional potential proposals to the Congressional Budget Office for scoring. We expect the CBO score late this week or early next week and for the Senate to bring the bill to the floor shortly thereafter.

National Call-in day is Wednesday, July 12th. We want to thank everyone who has been working so hard this recess to protest the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). With Senators returning to DC next week, we want to be sure they continue to hear the opposition to per capita caps loud and clear. To make sure that message continues, CCD is organizing a National Disability Call-In Day on Wednesday, July 12th. Please Save the Date! We will follow-up on Monday with a sample script and companion social media.

Your senate is going on recess, but this is not a recess from our advocacy! We challenge you to do one thing every single day of the July 4th recess. Please see our take action page for strategies on how to #killthebill and #savemedicaid. You need to make sure your representatives know that their proposed health care bill would decimate Medicaid and harm millions of seniors and people with disabilities. We can’t emphasize enough how important it is for the disability community to take action NOW to strongly oppose the AHCA, particularly its devastating cuts and caps to Medicaid.

Recess is a critical time to make your voices heard in your state. Your senators will be home for the July 4th recess. You need to make sure your senators know that their proposed health care bill would decimate Medicaid and harm millions of seniors and people with disabilities. The newest score from the Congressional Budget Office estimates a $772 billion cut to Medicaid and estimates that by 2036, Medicaid spending will be 35% less than under current law.

We can’t emphasize enough how important it is for the disability community to take action NOW to strongly oppose the AHCA, particularly its devastating cuts and caps to Medicaid.

Please see our take action page for strategies on how to #killthebill and #savemedicaid during the July 4th recess.

The Congressional Budget Office's score of the Senate's "Better Care Reconciliation Act" came out last night. It shows that 22 million people will lose insurance, including 15 million under Medicaid. The CBO also found that the bill would cut $772 billion from Medicaid over the next 10 years, with even more steep cuts thereafter. Among the "losers" in this bill would be people with disabilities, who rely on Medicaid as the only source for critical long term services and supports. See more about the CBO here.

The Senate is slated to vote this week.If you have a Republican Senator, keep calling and writing (or get your friends and family with a Republican Senator to do so). Please attend one of the many events occurring around the country this week. We must save Medicaid! We must prevent the support of people with disabilities from regressing 50 years!

The Senate has released its draft healthcare bill (the “Better Care Reconciliation Act”) and is moving quickly towards a vote next week. The draft bill is devastating. We need to ACT NOW to save medicaid and the lives of the millions of Americans who depend on it.

Like the House bill, the Senate bill contains per capita caps that would completely restructure the Medicaid program and cause devastating cuts to the critical services on which people with disabilities rely. In fact, the Senate bill has even deeper cuts than the House bill.

Senators will be home this weekend. A number of Senators are very concerned about this bill. The time for Advocacy is NOW! Please, please, please, take a few minutes out of your day to call, write, or attend events in your home state ! Tell your Senator that you are against this bill and urge them to Save Medicaid!

Today is the 18th anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Olmstead v. LC, where the Court declared that people with disabilities have a civil right under the Americans with Disabilties Act to live and participate in their communities. But the AHCA's drastic cuts and caps to Medicaid threaten this right. The right to community living is hollow if people cannot access the services they need!

Please call and write your Senators today. The Senate is still moving towards a vote next week. In addition, please consider tweeting your Senator about the connection between Olmstead and the AHCA. Check out these sample tweets targeting Senators who supported the Americans with Disabilities Act who are now supporting the AHCA. Please join us in making clear that you can't both support the right of people with disabilities to live in the community and the AHCA's caps to Medicaid.

Our sources on Capitol Hill have confirmed that the Senate's bill is moving quickly and that the Senate could be voting as early as next week on a bill we still have not seen! We understand that the Senate bill still has per capita caps, and in fact, those caps may be even worse than those in the House bill. But there is still hope to stop this! We need to redouble our advocacy efforts to fight against cuts and caps to Medicaid!

Action: Please take five minutes out of your day everyday to call the Senate to ask them to say NO to cuts and caps on Medicaid! And today, please urge the Senate to #showusthebill through social media from 12:30pm to 2:00pm.

This Tuesday (June 20), Senate Republicans will meet to discuss and be briefed on the contents of the Senate version of the AHCA at their caucus lunch from 12:30 to 2 pm. The public has not seen the bill, and Senators have indicated we won’t until right before the vote. So while Senators have their lunch meeting on Tuesday, we must demand to see the text of the bill and that there be hearings before it goes to a vote.

Please join us from 12:30 to 2 pm on Tuesday, June 20th on social media demanding to see the bill and asking for hearings. Millions of people with disabilities rely on Medicaid– we need to demand that the Senate #ShowUsTheBill. For ideas of what to say, click here!

We need everyone to ACT NOW to stop the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and SAVE MEDICAID. The Senate plans to vote only days from now! Please take 5 minutes out of your day and call your senator now! If you know anyone in the key states, please encourage them to call their senators. Remember, there are a few senators who hold the key to stopping the AHCA. Your call can make the difference!

We need everyone to redouble your efforts and advocate non-stop over the next 10 days to stop the AHCA’s cuts and caps to Medicaid. Our best hope for stopping this bill is getting out as many people as possible, particularly in key states, to tell their Medicaid stories and urge their Senators to oppose the AHCA and its Medicaid caps.

Our advocacy over the next 2 weeks is critical – the Senate is moving quickly and plans to vote on the bill the last week in June. By all accounts, the bill is largely based off the House bill and includes per capita caps. We must continue to put the pressure on the Senate about these cuts and caps to Medicaid throughin person visits (in DC or at their home offices), phone calls, and emails.

Yesterday thousands of people across the nation stood up and told our representatives “NO! We will not have healthcare changed on the backs of people with disabilities.”

While yesterday sent a powerful message, now is not the time to sit down. The next few weeks are critical in preventing cuts and caps to Medicaid! We need to continue to join together and make our collective voice heard.

June 6th is a day of action! Please join us and stand up for people with disabilities at a rally in D.C. Help us stop the Medicaid caps and cuts and save the lives of people with disabilities. Read more about the event here. If you cannot attend the rally in D.C., you can still participate by calling your representatives, posting on social media, or by participating in a rally in your own state. We will continue to provide updates about these important ways to make your voice heard.

Recess is a critical time to make your voices heard in your state. Legislators will be home from May 29 to June 2nd. You need to make sure your legislators know that the American Health Care Act (AHCA) would decimate Medicaid and literally harm millions of seniors and people with disabilities. The newest score from the Congressional Budget Office estimates a $834 billion cut to Medicaid.

We can’t emphasize enough how important it is for the disability community to take action NOW to strongly oppose the AHCA, particularly its devastating cuts and caps to Medicaid.

On June 6th join us and stand up for people with disabilities at a rally in D.C. and others across the nation. Help us stop Medicaid caps and cuts and save the lives of people with disabilities. Read more about the event here.

As we continue to educate legislators about the impact of this bill's dramatic cuts to Medicaid on people with disabilities, we're hearing that calls and emails from the disability community about Medicaid are being drowned out by other concerns with the AHCA.

You matter, your story about Medicaid is critical, and your call makes a difference.

It is absolutely essential to make the case, in every state, to U.S. Senators, Governors, and key members of the legislature about the impact of the Medicaid per capita caps on community services and supports for individuals with disabilities.

Please, whether you're a lifelong activist or haven't voted in years - take five minutes today to help defend essential services for people with disabilities.

The AHCA passed narrowly in the House today. And yes, we're sad and disappointed.

But, it's not time to turn away disheartened and give up. It's time to take a minute, regroup, and come back strong. The bill barely made it through the House and the path in the Senate will even tougher; Republicans can lose only two vote for the bill to pass.

We'll be posting more information and calls to action in the coming days.

2:00 PM: We're once again on high alert as it looks like this bill could get enough votes to make it through the House. A new amendment adds funding to high risk-pools while leaving the fundamental flaws of this legislation untouched. The core concerns of people with disabilities and their advocates have not been addressed. The amended AHCA will still cut $880 billion from Medicaid; leave people with pre-existing conditions, including people with disabilities, unprotected; and make coverage of essential benefits like mental health care optional.

It is critical that you make our opposition to this bill heard. Together we've blocked previous versions of the AHCA. We need to do it again.

With new amendments to the American Heath Care Act, Republicans may be bringing the bill back to the floor as early as next week. The amended AHCA still includes $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid, which will decimate the services the people with disabilities rely on to live in the community. The new amendments only make the bill worse for people with disabilities. It would allow states to strip protections for people with pre-existing conditions (including disabilities) and to stop proving "essential health benefits" like mental health care, rehabilitative and habilitative services, and prescription drugs.

The time to make your voice heard is now!

Key messages are:

 Do NOT support the American Health Care Act.
 Do NOT allow Medicaid to be gutted. Caps and block grants would decimate the program
on which people with disabilities and seniors rely for critical healthcare and community
services.
 Do NOT allow states to opt out of requiring health plans to cover basic health care and
keep it affordable for people with pre-existing conditions, including people with
disabilities

Despite our success in getting the House to withdraw the American Health Care Act earlier this month right before Congressional Recess, the AHCA may be back as early as next week. Over recess, the House developed amendments to the AHCA that have made it even worse for people with disabilities. The amended AHCA still will cut $880 billion from Medicaid, but now will allow states to choose to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions (including disabilities) and decide not to cover essential benefits (like mental health care). It is critical that you make our opposition to this bill heard.

The last information from Capital Hill is that the American Health Care Act (AHCA) will be going to the House floor this Thursday for a vote. As is, this bill would be devastating to people with disabilities – we need you to take action now.

Proposed updates to the bill do not address the concerns of the disability community. There will still be dramatic cuts to the Medicaid program.

House GOP leaders did not have enough votes and postponed today’s planned vote on the AHCA. The latest information is that the vote might happen tomorrow or Monday. The current version of the bill still imposes unacceptable per capita caps on Medicaid services for people with disabilities. There is not a final version of the bill and negotiations are still in process. Please make your voice heard today.

The new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score shows that the amendments would cost more without insuring more people.

The House is debating on AHCA right now and will vote this afternoon around 4 or 5pm. The bill includes a NEW amendment that further harms people with disabilities, repealing Essential Health Benefits.

These amendments are causing some moderates to flip their “no” vote to a “yes”. We can’t let the bill pass! Here’s what we need you to do ASAP: Call. Call. Call. Call. Email. Tweet

Call the main Capitol line at: (202) 224-3121(You’ll be directed to an operator at the Capitol switchboard. This switchboard can direct you to both senators as well as representatives.)

Speaker Ryan withdrew the AHCA and stated he will not be reintroducing it anytime soon! Thank you for your incredible advocacy. While this is good news for now, we know that there could be further legislation or harmful regulatory action related to Medicaid. We'll keep you updated and help you take action.

It's still unclear, but there's some buzz suggesting this bill may be coming back. We'll keep you updated as we know more but please continue to stay engaged and educated!

Speaker Ryan withdrew the AHCA and stated he will not be reintroducing it anytime soon! Thank you for your incredible advocacy. While this is good news for now, we know that there could be further legislation or harmful regulatory action related to Medicaid.

Thanks to the incredible advocacy of people like you, the American Health Care Act was withdrawn. But we know that the fight to protect Medicaid is far from over. The latest news is that Congress is turning back to working on a healthcare bill. We must keep up our advocacy. Your Congressional representatives will be on recess and working in their state offices from April 10 to 21. This is a great time to meet with your representative, go to a Town Hall, or plan an event.

Update: May 7, 2018

We know it can be hard to keep up with everything that's happening so we created a page to give you a few quick facts and updates about the most pressing issues.

To learn more about what we're watching -- including Medicaid work requirements, a bill to reauthorize Money Follows the Person, and a forthcoming rule that will harm people with disabilities trying to become U.S. citizens, visit the new Current Issues page.

Subscribe Today! Stay informed and take action to protect individuals with disabilities.

Email

Our Mission

10 million people with disabilities rely on Medicaid to live and participate in their communities. Over the past year, Congress attempted, and failed, to pass several different healthcare bills with devastating cuts to Medicaid. But the fight is not over. Congress may try again to pass significant cuts to Medicaid, whether through the budget or in another healthcare or tax bill. Federal agencies are also proposing policies that hurt people with disabilities who rely on Medicaid. We need to continue to educate government leaders about the importance of Medicaid to the lives of people with disabilities.

Our purpose on this website is to help people with disabilities, their families, and advocates/allies understand the impact of the changes proposed by Congress and federal agencies and give them the tools to advocate.

Please contact us if you have questions, suggestions, or additional resources you'd like to see included.

ADAPT is a national grass-roots community that organizes disability rights activists to engage in nonviolent direct action, including civil disobedience, to assure the civil and human rights of people with disabilities to live in freedom.